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In this last article, we like to explain a simple legal problem that we found ourselves in and then explain how we reached the obvious answer. 

You know it is going to happen.  You will be attending a party or a get together this holiday season and some friend or relative will bring up the topic of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) (or Obamacare).  And if you continue reading this, you’ll at least be able to discuss the topic while you quickly finish whatever good cheer you have in your hand in an effort to le

How confident are you that the Seahawks will beat the 49ers on December 8?  One Northwest Business owner is so confident that he is betting his entire company on it.  You might ask, well who would consider that bet?  The answer:  the company suing him.

In a struggling economy, some businesses prefer to offer lower wages, but higher bonuses at the end of the year based on the employee’s performance.  With the volatile job market, employees often wonder, “What if I am laid off before the end of the year?”  “Do I still get my bonus?”

Many employers, even large corporations, often violate federal and state laws requiring premium payment of overtime (usually time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek) to their workers. Sometimes these violations are not planned, but unfortunately, often they are intentional.

Many companies improperly classify some of their workers as independent contractors who receive no benefits and no overtime pay for the work or services they provide. If you and/or your co-workers are in this category, you may be entitled to benefits and to back pay if you worked more than 40 hours in a workweek and were not paid overtime at time and a half your regular rate of pay.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over federal cases in the State of Washington, recently heard argument on the issue of whether millions of women who were allegedly improperly denied pay and promotions by Wal-mart over the last 10 years nationwide could proceed together in a single class action.

Over the past few months I have spoke with a number of individuals who have experienced retaliation because of their whistleblowing activities.  A whistleblower is an employee who reports his or her employer’s misconduct to a federal and/or state agency.  An employer’s misconduct may consist of violations of law, agency rules and/or other activity which is a direct threat

A few weeks ago, I attended a lecture presented by Matthew Gardner who is an economist and a principal of Gardner Economics.  He also frequently lectures on the state of our national and local economies and the effect they have on real estate markets.

Mayor Greg Nickels found that a Seattle Fire Chief Greg Dean did not retaliate against a whistleblower by demoting him.  The whistleblower claimed that he was demoted after he complained to city ethics watchdogs about wrongdoing in the department.  However, a private lawyer hired by the city found that the demotion was for “business reasons”.